December 22, 2009 | GBI Insight Home

Sustainability Report Card Shows Improving Grades for Green Building

Drexel University recently committed to using Green Globes for all of its new and existing campus buildings.

The College Sustainability Report Card 2010 is divided into nine categories, including green building, which evaluated efforts to build and maintain campus infrastructure more sustainably. Among other things, this category examined whether schools had committed to meeting a specific design standard in new construction and renovation projects—giving points for the use of Green Globes®, the leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) system and the ENERGY STAR® building labelling system.

Other criteria included whether design practices stipulated a high level of energy efficiency, the strategic use of natural daylight for lighting and temperature regulation, the use of locally sourced materials that were sustainable and non-toxic, and the diversion of waste from landfill.

Among the findings, almost half of the schools surveyed have green building projects and three quarters have adopted campus-wide green building policies that specify minimum performance levels.

According to the Institute, the report card is “designed to identify colleges and universities that are leading by example on sustainability” with the aim of providing “accessible information for schools to learn from each others’ experiences and establish more effective sustainability policies.”

To access the report card, please visit the Sustainable Endowment Institute website.

For information on how K-12 and Higher Education Schools built or remodelled with a recognized green building rating system such as Green Globes can qualify for stimulus dollars while saving money on utility bills and improving indoor air quality, visit the new education section of the GBI website.